The saying, "It takes an entire village to raise a child," rings true when it comes to keeping youths safe from drugs.

Parents can't be everywhere their children are. When it comes to monitoring their teens, parents have to rely on other family members, neighbors and coaches, as well as other people with whom their teens interact or look up to.

So how can parents initiate those important conversations with the rest of the family, with neighbors and with their teen's mentors?

[continues 664 words]

Drug Rehabilitation Program Helps Turn Lives Around

For Connie Smau, "hanging" with the wrong crowd may have gotten her into some serious trouble, but in the end, getting caught has helped her change her life for the better.

Unable to fight off peer pressure like many teens who experiment with drugs, Smau said she regrettably got too involved with a group of not-so-good friends and fell into some bad habits that led her straight to drugs.

"I was partying and hanging out with people I didn't even go to school with, I barely even knew them, but I did what they were doing anyway," she said.

[continues 619 words]

Once again, Guam's only residential rehabilitation center for the treatment of adult male substance-abuse patients is facing potential closure.

The Lighthouse Recovery Center, which is run by the Salvation Army, expects to expend its operational budget and thus may have to close June 1, according to The Salvation Army Guam Corps' Maj. Dave Harmon. If that happens, it won't reopen, Harmon said.

Lighthouse receives a $300,000 grant annually from the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority, but its operating costs are about $450,000 a year. And although Guam is a very giving community -- The Salvation Army raises about $200,000 to $250,000 a year, Harmon said - -- donations are usually specified for something specific, such as Christmas food baskets.

[continues 260 words]

Ashley Calvo, a 16-year-old John F. Kennedy High School sophomore, doesn't want to walk down the hall and be afraid of students asking her if she wants to buy drugs.

Calvo, the youngest person on a six-person panel with law officers and educators, said this yesterday during day two of the "Mandatory Drug Testing Symposium: Do We Pass? Do We Fail?"

Calvo feels many public and private high school students wouldn't mind random drug testing in schools if it means having a school free of drugs, drug users and drug pushers.

[continues 351 words]

It has been more than nine years since former Gov. Carl Gutierrez issued an executive order to mandate random drug testing for government employees, and since then only 14 employees have appealed drug-related discipline to the Civil Service Commission.

Management won 12 of those appeals, said commission Executive Director Vernon Perez, who speculated that only about one in four employees bothered to appeal their punishment.

"The Drug-Free Workplace is in fact working," Perez said yesterday afternoon, during the opening day of the "Mandatory Drug Testing Symposium: Do We Pass? Do We Fail?" at the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa.

[continues 427 words]

Camacho's decision to put DOA in charge of drug testing can result in positive changes

The decision by Gov. Felix Camacho to put the Department of Administration in charge of the government of Guam's drug testing program makes a lot of sense and, if done properly, will result in positive change.

The governor's office is making the change to better enforce its zero-tolerance drug policy. In a press release, Camacho emphasized the need for a "united front against drug use in our schools and work place." The announcement preceded yesterday's opening of the drug-free conference "Mandatory Drug Testing Symposium: Do We Pass? Do We Fail?"

[continues 245 words]

The Salvation Army's Lighthouse Recovery Center is seeking help once again, saying the center faces permanent closure unless it obtains funding by June 1 to complete its operation this fiscal year.

"Our divisional commander has warned us that if the center is closed, it will not be reopened," said Maj. Dave Harmon, head of The Salvation Army Guam Corps, adding the center needs $150,000 by the June 1 deadline to stay open.

As the island's only residential rehabilitation center for adult male substance abuse patients, it has served more than 200 people in its residential program since it started in 1998. It has served hundreds more through its outreach and outpatient programs.

[continues 472 words]

Random drug testing for government of Guam workers who hold critical jobs is required, but some agency heads or department directors have had the discretion not to order such tests right away because of budget constraints.

Gov. Felix Camacho's administration acknowledged such a problem exists, and is about to stop agency -- or department-level financial difficulties from getting in the way of drug tests.

The governor is taking the discretion away from agency and department officials by consolidating directly within the Department of Administration the funding approval and payment for drug testing, said Lou Perez, the department's director, by phone yesterday. Perez explained the plan when asked to elaborate on a press release from the governor's office.

[continues 269 words]

When it comes to teen substance abuse, experts say parents are the first line of defense. But, if you were to ask any parent, talking to kids about drugs is not always an easy thing to do.

The Pacific Daily News, its community partners and co-sponsor Mobil Oil Guam have launched the eight-month "Cool ... Just as I Am" project, a community-wide awareness effort against substance abuse among youths.

In its efforts to help parents open the lines of communication with their kids, the focus of this week's article is to provide parents with some examples of how to go about starting that important conversation after they have confirmed that their child is using drugs.

[continues 697 words]

Program Helps Kids Sharpen Athletic Skills, Stay Drug-Free

Research shows that youths who are involved in constructive, adult-supervised activities are less likely to use drugs than youths with a lot of free time. Studies also show that youths with positive role models are less likely to fall into substance abuse.

With these facts in mind, the Guam Youth Basketball Association and the Department of Parks and Recreation have teamed up with other agencies and businesses to organize the Shell Guam 2005 Drug-Free Youth Basketball Clinic and League.

[continues 264 words]

By The Numbers

A survey of 540 high school students showed that more than half at each grade level were either current users or had experimented with some type of illicit substance.

9th grade: 78 percent 10th grade: 85 percent 11th grade: 86 percent 12th grade: 92 percent

About 92 percent of all high school seniors surveyed had used drugs at least once, according to a survey called the 1999 Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities of Youth Risk Behavior on Guam.

[continues 319 words]

There is no simple, magical solution to the problem of youth drug abuse. That being the case, there are many things that we in the community can do to help prevent drug use among our youths.

It all starts with the family. Children's first "classroom" is the home, and parents are the teachers, imparting character, values and manners to their students. Key to this education is not just preaching it to children, but modeling it, as well. If you tell your children not to smoke, drink or use drugs, and then you smoke, drink or use drugs, it sends a contradictory message. Do as I say and not as I do simply doesn't work.

[continues 252 words]

An old co-worker would always go straight home and never party with us on Fridays after work. I vividly recall the day my boss observed, "He must be getting something somewhere!"

As a school counselor, it's been hard to understand kids' extreme adverse reactions to disruptions in the family or boyfriend/girlfriend rejection. Why are what seem such not uncommon events in life so devastating for some people? It has to be something worse than a broken heart. What are we so desperate to hold on to?

[continues 231 words]

As a mental-health professional and a researcher, I am very pleased that the Pacific Sunday News is bringing this topic to the fore and that it is devoting several months of in-depth coverage on the topic of teenage drug use. Using the daily newspaper as a tool to aid our community in understanding and raising awareness for Guam' social ills is a proven, substantive contribution. On Guam, we all read the paper, so choosing teen drug use as a discussion topic is a prudent and excellent way to get the message to the masses.

[continues 868 words]

Your April 4 editorial offered excellent advice on preventing adolescent drug use. The importance of parental involvement in reducing drug use cannot be overstated. School-based extracurricular activities also have been shown to reduce use. They keep kids busy during the hours they're most likely to get into trouble.

In order for drug prevention efforts to effectively reduce harm, they must be reality-based. The most popular drug and the one most closely associated with violent behavior is often overlooked by parents. That drug is alcohol, and it takes far more lives each year than all illegal drugs combined. Alcohol may be legal, but it's still the No. 1 drug problem.

[continues 86 words]

It all started with a Guam police officer patching shreds of evidence together in the investigation of a low-to mid-level drug dealer.

But the drug dealer led police to his supplier, and within a few weeks, the case turned into a full-scale investigation of an international drug-dealing scheme.

Since then, nearly 10 drug dealers are behind bars and about $1 million in assets -- from Rolex watches to real estate -- have been confiscated.

Best of all, said Jeff Silk, the resident agent in charge of Guam's Drug Enforcement Administration office, the bust appears to have made a dent in the drug supplies on island.

[continues 218 words]

Get Involved in Effort to Keep Teens Away From Drugs

One of the biggest concerns of any community, and Guam is no exception, is teenage drug abuse.

According to the U.S. Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center, both marijuana and crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," are serious drug threats here, with users as young as age 12. Local health officials also say that the use of tobacco and alcohol by Guam's teens remain causes of concern.

That's one of the reasons that the Pacific Daily News, along with Mobil Oil Guam, launched "Cool ... Just as I Am," a community project that aims to keep island's teenagers from using drugs.

[continues 209 words]

There are many options and opportunities out there for Guam's youth, and the Pacific Daily News and its community partners want to share that with them in an effort to stay away from drugs.

Marijuana and crystal methamphetamine, more commonly known as "ice," posed the most serious drug threats to Guam with users as young as 12 years old, according to a 2003 U.S. Justice Department National Drug Intelligence Center report. And smoking and alcohol abuse among teens continue to concern local health officials.

[continues 170 words]

Rapper Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, also known as Xzibit, was caught early Sunday morning at the Guam airport with about two grams of marijuana in his baggage, but was not arrested.

Xzibit was issued a notice of citation, which bears a fine of $100 and was allowed to perform at a concert later that night, said Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency spokeswoman Lt. Darlene Merfalen.

Xzibit, who is also the host for MTV's "Pimp My Ride," was on tour for his new album, "Weapons of Mass Destruction," when he made his stop on Guam Sunday to perform at the University of Guam. Xzibit arrived here on a flight from Manila, Merfalen said.

[continues 180 words]

The Superior Court of Guam's Adult Drug Court is definitely a step in the right direction. For non-violent offenders with chronic substance abuse problems, drug treatment is a cost-effective alternative to incarceration. Unfortunately, drug courts are being misused for political purposes.

Record numbers of U.S. citizens arrested for marijuana possession have been forced into treatment by the criminal justice system. The resulting distortion of treatment statistics is used by drug czar John Walters to make the claim that marijuana is "addictive."

[continues 104 words]